With around 70 lots in total, the consignment includes paintings by major names including Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Degas which will be offered at Sotheby's Modern & Contemporary evening sale on June 29.
The consignment is led by Claude Monet’s (1940-1926) Vétheuil, a quintessential Impressionist landscape from 1880 which is pitched at £10m-15m. The small village of Vétheuil, situated along the Seine, was the home to Monet and his family from September 1878 until December 1881.
This small stretch of the Seine provided innumerable opportunities for Monet to observe the same, or similar, views in different seasons and at different times of day and to explore the resulting nuances of light and colour. The picturesque location fascinated the artist well into his late career and he produced over 150 pictures depicting the village and the surrounding countryside.
This example, executed on an impressive scale, displays the scene in sunny light and fresh colours, factors which tend to be favoured commercially.
Other Impressionist pictures from the collection include one of Edgar Degas’ (1834-1917) Danseuses subjects – in this case a pastel over monotype composition of six ballet dancers. Dating from c.1880-87, it is estimated at £4m-6m.
Danseuses by Edgar Degas – estimated at £4m-6m at Sotheby’s.
One of a number of works from the collection appearing at Sotheby’s sale titled British Art: The Jubilee Auction on June 29 is James Jacques Joseph Tissot’s (1836-1902) The Hammock from 1879.
Estimated at £1.5m-2m, it is one of the largest pictures that Tissot painted of his garden St John’s Wood in London which was the setting for many of his pictures. It shows his companion and model Kathleen Newton who, after giving birth to a son believed to have been fathered by the artist, died tragically of consumption aged 28.
The Hammock by James Tissot – estimated at £1.5m-2m at Sotheby’s.
Showing an earlier idyllic time with the sleeping dog by her side, the painting was originally purchased for £160 by Richard Donkin, the MP for Albemarle, Wimbledon Common.
For 120 years, The Hammock was considered lost and only emerged in 1999 when it was hailed as a highly significant rediscovery and was included in a major exhibition of Tissot’s work.
A pair of George III Royal silver wine coolers by John Parker and Edward Wakelin – estimated at £150,000-200,000 at Sotheby’s.
Among the silver highlights is a pair of George III silver wine coolers by John Parker and Edward Wakelin which will appear at Sotheby’s Treasures sale on July 5. The elaborate Rococo decoration follows that of a print found in a publication of silver designs by Pierre Germain, a pre-eminent silversmith.
Applied with the Royal Arms, they were used as ambassadorial plate by Henry Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire, and are estimated at £150,000-200,000.
From the same period is a set of 12 silver-gilt candlesticks by Thomas Pitts and John Mewburn, London, an unusually large group, engraved with the crests and initials of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, and King of Hanover. Offered together, they are estimated at £120,000-180,000.
Meanwhile, a unique pair of George III Royal silver-gilt picnic vases on stands with burners by John Emes from 1806 is estimated at £80,000-120,000. Engraved with his coat of arms and the initials of his seven brothers and sisters, the exact purpose of these objects has been lost over time but it is believed they may have been used for heating coffee and milk.
